Mail-bag catching and delivering apparatus.



H. W. BROWN.

MAIL BAG GATGHING AND DELIVERING APPARATUS.

APPLIGATION FILED APR.24, 1913.

1,080,746, Patented Dec. 9, 1913.

lllllll! as v HENRY w. BROWN, or LOGTOWN, MISSISSIPPI.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 9, 1913.

Application filed April a4; 1913. Serial no. 763,238.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, HENRY W. BROWN, a citizen of the United tates, residing at Logtown, in the county of Hancock and State of Mississippi, have invented new and useful Improvements inMail-Bag Catching and Delivering Apparatus, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to improvements in mail bag catching and delivering apparatus, and more particularly to an apparatus of this kind to be carried on railroad mail cars for the purpose of receiving and delivering mail bags while the car is in motion.

The object of this invention is to provide an apparatus of this kind that may be mounted upon the inner wall of the mail car so that the mail bag to be delivered may be placed thereon and then swung out through thedoor to place the mail bag in position to be caught and removed at the delivery station while the train is in motion, and at the same time a mail bag at the delivery station may be caught and swung into the mail car.

This invention is an improvement upon the construction set forth in my prior Patent No. 901,150 of October 13th, 1908, in that the mail car catching and delivering apparatus is upon a swinging frame of exceptionally strong construction tomeet the great strain of catching mail bags while the train is moving at a high rate of speed, the mail bag supporting arms are mounted for both vertical and horizontal movement adapted to move readily out of the way of the station catching and delivering apparatus when a mail bag has been delivered and in this position to be swung into the car door without engaging the top or bottom of, said door.

While the preferred form of this invention is illustrated upon the accompanying sheet of drawing, yet it is to be'understood that minor detail changes may be made without departing from the scope of the invention.

Figure 1 is a view in perspective of this invention illustrating a mail car about to catch and deliver mail bags. Fig. 2 is a top plan view of the mail car apparatus in the position shown in Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is an enlarged detail view in section taken on the line3-3 of Fig. 2. I

The car mai bag catching and delivering apparatus consists in a rigid rectangular frame comprising top and bottom members 1 and 2 extending beyond the frame to suit able hinged supports 3 and 4: upon the inner car walls adjacent the door, so that the frame may be readily swung out and held at right angles to the car walls. The inner side member 5 is placed a sufficient distance from the supporting pivoted ends to allow,

in the outer position, a suflicient space between it and the exterior of the car wall for a hook or other detachable securing means carried upon thecar wall to engage the bottom member 2. The securing means illustrated comprise hooks 6 and 7 adapted to engage the top and bottom members respectively, tending through the car wall with handles 8 upon the interior of the car for engaging and releasing the hooks. The outer side member of the frame comprises a rotatable shaft 9 mounted in bearings therefor in the outer ends of the top and bottom members respectively.

A mail bag catcher 10 is rigidly secured to the center of the inner side member 5 comprising horizontal mail bag engaging arms extending on both sides of the frame. The outer arms 11 are curved and extend out- Wardly a slight distance beyond the rotatable shaft, the inner arms 12 preferably extend atright angles to the plane ofthe frame and are provided at their ends with a spring latch 13 adapted to retain a mail bag in caught position when engaged by the catcher arms.

Mail bag supporting arms 14: and 15 are pivoted in slots in the rotatable shaft 9 adjacent each end thereof extending a suiiicient distance beyond the frame to support a mail bag, such as 16, in the manner shown, and extending nearly across the interior of the frame. The upper and lower members 1 and Z are each provided with an interiorly projecting wedge shaped lug 17 and the supporting arms are provided with grooved extensions 18 adapted to rest upon and engage therein the respective lugs when supporting a mail bag in the position of delivery, and thereby supporting the upper arm in the horizontal position and retaining both arms in the plane of the frame against the air pressure upon the bag caused by the rapidly moving train. The inner ends of the supporting arms are normally drawn toward each other by coil springs 19 extending from the center of the rotatable and are mounted upon shafts ex- 7 engaging hook at its outer end and pivoted.

at its inner end intermediate the supporting arm for horizontal rotation thereon. "The extension 23 is provided with a dependingwedge shaped lug 24 adapted to engage in a grooved projection 25 upon the free end of the supporting arm. The lower arm 22 isprovided with a similar extension 26 having a lug 27 adapted to engage a grooved projection 28, but pivoted upon the under side of the arm. The horizontal mail bag catcher 29 is secured to the post midway between the bag supporting arms and is preferably of the same construction as previously de scribed, but may be provided with a pivotal connection 30 if desired.

The mail car apparatus is normally contained within the car, so that the bag may be hung upon the upper supporting arm 14 and engage with the lower support 15 and swung about pivoted shaft 9 until the inner ends engage the lugs 17 and the frame then swung out into operative position and secured by the hook 7. As the arms of the catcher extend in both directions, it is immaterial to the operation of the apparatus in which direction the train is traveling.

The supporting arms of the station apparatus are normally held in a substantially vertical position by springs 32 secured to the post 20 midway therebetween and connected respectively to the short or inner portion of arms 21 and 22 and a stop 31 upon the rear of the post is arranged to engage the upper short portion of arm 21 to retain the said supporting arm in the horizontal position. The mail bag, such as 16 is hung upon the upper extension, the extension seated upon the groove projection of the upper arm and the upper arm will rest in a horizontal position. The lower arm is brought up, the extension seated, and engaged with the bottom of the bag. The height of the post and the relation of the supporting arms and catcher is such that the center of the bag 16 will be in line with the catcher 10 upon the car and the center of the bag 16 on the car in line with the station catcher 29, and thesupporting arms 22 and 23 in a horizontal position will clear the frame extending from the car. As the car passes the catcher l0v thereon removes the bag 16, the extensions 23 rotate in the direction of the movement of the train, and the upper andlower arms 21 and 22 immediately move away from each other. At the same time the station catcher engages the car bag 16, rotates the shaft 9, and frees the bag from the pivoted arms thereon, the outer ends of which then move away from each other and abut the upper and lower ends respectively of the slots in which they are mounted. In this position the arms are retained so that they will clear the top and bottom of the door of the car when the frame shaft, and mail bag supporting arms carried thereby. 1

2. In a mail bag catching and delivering apparatus, a frame comprising top and bottom members having one side member rigidly secured thereto and the other side member formed by a rotatable shaft mounted in bearings upon the upper and lower members, a mail bag catcher within the frame secured to the rigid side member, mail bag supporting arms passing through slots provided therefor in the rotatable shaft and pivoted thereto, said arms extending on each side of the shaft and springs attached to the interior ends of the arms normally drawing them together.

3. In a mail bag catching and delivering apparatus, a frame comprising top and bottom members having one side member rigidly secured thereto and the other side member formed by a rotatable shaft mounted in bearings upon the upper and lower members, a mail bag catcher within the frame secured to the rigid side member, mail bag supporting arms passing through slots provided therefor in the rotatable shaft and pivoted thereto, said arms extending on each side of the shaft, springs attached to the interior ends of the arms normally drawing them together, lugs upon the interior sides of the upper and lower members, and grooved extensions upon the corresponding sides of'the inner ends of the arms adapted to engage therewith respectively.

4:. A mail bag catching and delivering apparatus comprising a rigid rectangular frame, adapted to be pivo-tally supported within the door of a car and to swing out therethrough, means for securing the frame in the outer position, a rigid side member of the frame adjacent the car, a mail bag catcher secured thereto, a rotatable shaft forming the outer side member of the frame having longitudinal slots provided therethrough adjacent the top and bottom respectively, mail bag supporting arms passing through said slots and pivoted therein to said shaft, springs normally drawing the projections co-acting to retain the arms in inner ends of said arms together, internally the plane of the frame to be delivered against 10: extergling ugs igpon the top and bottom the Wind pressure when carrying a mail bag. mem ers 0 the rame, rooved rojeotions upon the inner ends of the arms Eidapted to HENRY BROWN engage said lugs respectively, said upper lug Witnesses:

retaining said upper arm in horizontal when ETHEL B. HALL,

supporting a mail bag, and both lugs and A. B. HosEY.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, I). G. 

